“Educational Excellence Everywhere”: Academies

Debate between Baroness Morgan of Cotes and Geoffrey Clifton-Brown

Monday 9th May 2016 Commons Chamber

[Nicky Morgan]

Becoming an academy is all about the ultimate devolution—devolution to the frontline of the heads, the teachers and the governors.

[Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (The Cotswolds) (Con)]

I warmly welcome my right hon. Friend’s flexibility on this matter. Secondary schools in Gloucestershire were among the first warmly to embrace becoming academies, but that seems to have left a communication gap in relation to small rural schools. How can her Department, and indeed all of us, communicate with the parents, governors and teachers of such small secondary schools about the benefits of academies?

[Nicky Morgan]

In my statement, I set out some of the specific policies, and we will put together a package of information about them that hon. Members can circulate to relevant schools. I encourage my hon. Friend to do what others have done, which is to call together heads or chairs of governors for meetings, and to involve the regional schools commissioners, who will hold events to talk about becoming an academy and the sponsorship opportunities available if that is what such small schools want to pursue.